Civilian

Ezio strides down the street while Civilians and Guards look on.

Civilians are the common people in the Assassin's Creed series, found abundantly throughout the game worlds.

Assassin's Creed

Peasants are the general denizens of the cities (and the Kingdom) of the Holy Land in Assassin's Creed. Generally, they will do nothing to hurt Altaïr although there does exist some special variants of peasants that might.

Peasants are programmed to react realistically to Altaïr's actions: watching closely when he enters a fight, making comments as he free runs throughout the city, gasping when he buries his blade into an enemy and fleeing when the enemy dies. Peasants can also act as both a shield and a hindrance for Altaïr as he flees. If he runs into enough of them while sprinting, he will lose his balance and fall to the ground, greatly offending those he ran into. However, if he is shoving his way through a crowd, he may keep up his momentum.

If Altaïr murders a peasant, he suffers a large desynchronization due to his disregard for the first tenet of the Creed.

Assassin's Creed II

Civilians in Assassin's Creed II are very similar to their Assassin's Creed counterparts but do maintain a few more complexities to their reactions. Unlike peasants in Altair's time, the civilians of Italy will sometimes apologize to Ezio if he runs into them. Crowds will still continue to form around fights, but the civilians will also make comments about the fight and indicate which side they support by either whispering quiet support or cheering for Ezio's capture. Civilians will still also make comments about free-running and other high profile behavior. Civilians will call for the guards if they have been pickpocketed and if Ezio is caught doing so, they may start a brawl. Civilians have also been known for scolding Ezio for looting corpses or unconscious people. Other civilian behavior, such as painting buildings, repairing walls, or arguing, can be seen around the cities as well.

In many places such as Monteriggioni, the civilians compliment on his extraordinary actions such as displaying his free-running and climbing skills. Many of these include "what an athlete" and "such skill". After displaying violent acts such as killing or brawling may citizens retain the action of screaming and running away, combined with new sayings such as " I am only visiting I know nothing ".

If Ezio murders a civilian, a dialog box appears warning players that "Ezio did not kill civilians", indicating adherence to the Creed. If three civilians are killed, complete desynchronization will occur.

Civilian Types

Some civilians are different from the rest. Some may assist, be a hindrance, or an outright danger.

Beggars — Assassin's Creed, Assassin's Creed II

In the three cities, a desperate female beggar may pester Altaïr for money, claiming her family is "sick and dying" and "have nothing". They will pester Altaïr for several seconds, before giving up. If you attempt to climb a building to escape them, they will throw a rock at you. If you draw your sword, they will run away screaming. In addition, you may throw them in another direction to frighten them, this causes a loss in synchronization. Doing so enough, however, will get you an Achievement.

In Assassin's Creed II, beggars will appear in some cities, but will not chase or harass Ezio for money, only leaning against a wall or standing up when Ezio is near them. If you throw money at them, they will pick them all up, thank you, and then walk away.

Carriers — Assassin's Creed, Assassin's Creed II

In the three cities (Damascus, Jerusalem, Acre), some peasants may be found walking around carrying something heavy. If you bump into them, they will drop the item and cause a big commotion. To pass by carriers without causing a commotion, they should be gently pushed aside while in Low Profile.

In Assassin's Creed, Carriers come in two varieties: jar carriers and box carriers. Jar carriers are women carrying around a large jar on their head and box carriers are men holding a box close to their chest.

In Assassin's Creed II, only box carriers appear.

Citizens in distress — Assassin's Creed, Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines

Main article: Save Citizen

Occasionally, Altaïr can find citizens that need saving within the three cities. They are often being harassed by guards for crimes they did not commit. Altaïr can kill the guards, and in doing so, unlock a group of either Scholars or Vigilantes.

In Bloodlines, Citizens are the similar to their original counterparts, but will reward Altaïr with coins instead of unlocking a specific group.

Scholars — Assassin's Creed, Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines

Main article: Scholars

Scholars are holy men who silently, slowly walk through the three cities. Having robes similar enough to a Scholar's, Altaïr can blend in with a group of them to escape guards.

In Bloodlines, Scholars do not come in groups and appear even when you have not saved any citizen. Altaïr cannot blend with them.

In Assassin's Creed II, instead of Scholars, there are Monks. Their importance is severely diminished as Ezio can blend in with any crowd.

Thugs — Assassin's Creed

Main article: Thugs

Thugs or Courageous Citizens are burly denizens of the three cities, as well as Masyaf. They are the only peasants that will fight you, but only in a fistfight; drawing a weapon will cause them to flee. You can pickpocket Thugs for 5 throwing knives, or defeat them in a fistfight for one. Draw a weapon and kill them, however, and you will get zero knives.

While they do not appear in Assassin's Creed II, it is worth noting that some civilians will fight you if you are caught pickpocketing.

Trouble Makers — Assassin's Creed

In the three cities, one may find madmen and drunkards. They usually are found babbling, walking through back alleys,and struggling with chronic flatulence. If you get close, they will shove you violently and cause a big commotion. Because of this, killing Trouble Makers does not entail the synchronization loss experienced when Altaïr kills other citizens. Because Trouble Makers create a big commotion when they push you, it can cause you to become Exposed. This can sometimes cause you to fail a side mission, or break your cover as you attempt an assassination. They can also push you into water, instantly killing you.

In Assassin's Creed II, they appear like the ones in the original game. However, they do not act aggressively towards you and act like normal civilians.

Vigilantes — Assassin's Creed

Main article: Vigilantes

Vigilantes are groups of brave, tough men. If Altaïr runs past a group of Vigilantes, and he is being chased by guards, the Vigilantes will grab the guards, delaying them greatly. Altaïr can then escape, or take the opportunity to assassinate the guards as they are held back.

Minstrels — Assassin's Creed II

In any of the cities in Assassin's Creed II, minstrels will follow Ezio on the streets, playing a song on their lute and singing about Ezio. They are not as desperate as the beggars and will not throw rocks at him if he tries to escape. They are difficult to outrun and can be appeased by either throwing money at them or being attacked once with fists. However, doing any rash action against them (drawing weapons, punching, etc.) will cause an increase in Notoriety by 25%.

Trivia

• Assassin's Creed contains files titled "SnakeCharmer", but no snake charmer exists in the game. This hints that Ubisoft may have originally intended the game to feature snake charmers.